i'm going to start us off with a tweet here. this one involves our producer. and i'm told this is a theme. we got a high volume of such e-mails. can i get a picture of that producer rob? he is so handsome, huge smiley face. let's take a full shot of rob, here, if we could. here you go, he's all yours. "morning joe" starts right now. in past years, we've had people whose names popped up and they've been kind of the flavor of the month. i'm a great admirer of governor christie. i think he's done a great job as governor. i think he'd be a viable candidate. but he's starting from way behind in fund raising and

organization. if governor christie decides to run, i wish him luck. i think that there is a bit of a caution. it always -- the swimming pool looks a lot better until you jump right in. the water may not be quite as warm as you think. >> good morning. it is monday, october 3rd. welcome to "morning joe." with us onset, we have msnbc contributor mike barnicle. nice to see you, mike. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> and we have the president of the council on foreign relations richard hoss with us. a lot going on. very busy weekend. >> busy weekend. and i'm tired. >> yeah. >> i'm always tired. >> yeah. >> but today's the big day. today's the big day, i think. >> what? >> the next 24 to 48 hours, the "wall street journal" says that chris christie's going to make his decision. >> oh. >> great. okay. >> the aides are huddled together and the journal suggests now's the time.

what do you think? >> well, -- >> are you ready to -- you get ready to get excited? >> yeah, i think it's going to be exciting. >> if he runs. >> you think it's going to happen? >> i don't know. i don't think he knows. >> yeah. >> i think there are a lot of questions still to be answered. >> yeah. >> we'll find out. >> yes, we will. yes, we will. are you doing okay, mike, willie? everybody okay? >> yeah. >> did you survive the weekend? >> yeah. what about you? >> let's move along with news. >> how was your weekend? >> it was okay. i did the fund raising event. >> oh. >> it was very elegant. well, that's not very elegant. we don't have to talk about -- >> no, actually you tweeted pictures of you doing shots. can you explain that to me? >> well, no -- >> you did shots -- >> there were a few -- that is bobby v. >> bobby v.? i love it. >> i don't --

>> look at this. >> a lovely event. we raised a good amount of money. it was a big airlift/gala -- they. >> does he not have a button on his jacket? >> uh -- >> it's just flying wide open. >> well, they were all headed to the dominican republic, they were in travel mode. >> and there was a senator, the good senator. >> yes, who i found out his son is serving in afghanistan. >> really? >> yeah. we should have him on the show to talk about -- >> we certainly should. >> so you raised a lot of money. >> yeah, about $1.5 million. a lot going on. where do you want to start? chris christie, rick perry, denmark? >> we can stay away from denmark as long as we can. >> why? i love the denmark story. >> i hate it. >> let's talk about chris christie. as far as the political circles, the talk was deafening this weekend. >> it is. >> i've got to say, there's one thing i do find curious, though.

>> what is that? >> why is it when the new york yankees were ahead in game one, i knew the game was over. >> yeah. >> but when they were up by seven runs against the rays when the sox' season was on the line -- >> why is it -- everything is about the sox. and tito got fired. >> yeah, i think it was a mutual decision. the red sox, enough is enough. eight years, long time in that market. >> you know, he's been getting trashed. let's remember, he won two world series. >> the greatest -- >> after the longest stretch of 86 years? >> yes. >> let's not forget that. >> when you're down 3-0. >> of course. >> against the yankees. you want a manager going to walk into the clubhouse and go, what? what ghost of who? let's go get something to drink. when you're in a dive like they were in, you don't need tito to sort of saunter in there and act like nothing's wrong when there's a hell of a lot wrong.

>> he was the right manager for the right time. but it's time to move on, richard hoss. >> the problem right now is called a.j. burnett. the red sox lost as you know and moved beyond any shot. and yankees fans such as myself are on easy about a five-game series with detroit. that's the honest -- >> you should be uneasy. you should. because verlander hasn't had his shot at it yet. then you've got to go to burnett. >> right. >> you surprised he made it to the rotation? >> yeah, and i don't understand why pitching, throwing 25 balls like happened the other night totally puts pitchers in on the bench for several days. i don't quite understand the process by which both verlander and sabathia missed two games. >> any other surprises this

weekend? >> the phillies last night. >> yes. >> looked like they were going to run away with the series and the cardinals came back late last night. >> the cardinals beat the phillies? >> yeah, they came back. >> we'll show highlights in sports. >> i didn't see any sports this weekend, so when we show the highlights, i'll be excited -- >> liverpool won. >> i know about alabama. you go down to the swamp on a saturday night, you never know what's going to happen. >> it changes saturday down in tuscaloosa. the commodores roll into down. >> mika, their own special brand of co-ed football. you've also got the "morning joe" brew crew commenting. >> i can't believe i allowed this to happen. why did i allow this? >> i don't sense a high degree of interest on your part. >> can you imagine the two of them going on the road? for his team and his team? >> they plan ahead and last year, they called us and said -- >> i have. >> and come on down. we're going to be taping -- we're going to be doing the show

live from pensacola on thursday and tuscaloosa on friday. >> terrific. it's going to be great. >> i resent the fact that you scheduled us for homecoming this year. that's going on the bulletin board in the locker room. >> i can't get -- >> okay. so let's go to news. >> i got it, thank you. texas governor rick perry's campaign is on the defensive over report in the washington post. >> what? >> about his family's old hunting camp, which had a rationally charged name. it was visible on a rock at the entrance of the camp as recently as three years ago. perry's campaign maintains the name was changed soon after perry's father leased the property almost 30 years ago. richard looks a little bored. herman cain, the only african-american republican presidential candidate responded to the story yesterday. >> that is a more vile, negative word than the "n" word, and for him to leave it there as long as he did before i hear they

finally painted over it, it's just plain insensitive to a lot of black people in this country. >> governor perry's spokesman responded to cain's comments saying in part, mr. cain is wrong about the perry's family's quick action to eliminate the word on the rock, but is right the word written by others long ago is insensitive and offensive. that is why the perrys took quick action to cover and obscure it. perry also drew headlines for controversial remarks he made on military intervention. now we've got news here. speaking to voters in new hampshire on saturday. the governor said he would consider sending u.s. troops into mexico to combat drug-related violence. >> i'm curious. he wants to invade mexico, and yet members of the texas legislature said for years and friends said for years that they were concerned that the texas governor had a camp that was called such an offensive name.

you don't think that's news? >> i do. i do. >> "the washington post" talks to legislators and lobbyists who say we go out to his camp and his camp would be called something so vile and offensive. >> it is offensive -- >> you say it's not news. >> no, i think this mexico -- >> i think him wanting to invade mexico is news too. >> let me ask you a question. hold on. >> do you think the word that is on the rock that was removed three years ago is a word that rick perry is running around screaming wildly at people? >> first of all, it's not just a name on the rock. according to the "washington post," it's not just a name on the rock. i can tell you this, if my camp that my father and i purchas purchased -- >> right. >> -- had that name. >> right. >> it wouldn't -- >> you would be horrified. >> we would probably not buy it, and then if we did buy it, we would make sure that the day we bought it the rock were removed

and we would put up a new sign. the fact that that's what this camp was called until five years ago, that the sign of the entrance of the camp had that, i mean, you just -- anybody that would allow that to happen while members of the texas legislature -- just it shows such an extraordinary racial insensitivity that i think it's disqualifying. >> okay. >> and i would say that of anybody that was running in this race. if what the "washington post" is saying is true. >> okay. and again, i ask you, and then we're not going to -- >> no, you don't have to run around and say it. say it. >> it's representative of -- >> it's representative of a racial insensitivity that i think is disqualifying for -- >> i think it's representative -- >> for any member of congress or a governor or a president. >> okay. >> i don't think it's even a close call. >> okay. >> can you imagine driving past

a sign that's like that? >> i'm not saying it's not big. i really think that the mexico thing is really, really interesting about rick perry. >> what does it say about rick perry that he wants to invade mexico? >> thank you. >> premature to put that on the foreign policy agenda, though it is a serious issue. the mexicans are overwhelmed, their law enforcement authorities, judicial system can't handle the problem. it is a problem we are in part causing because of our gun laws and our thirst for drugs. this is a serious issue, which is the loss of control of parts of northern mexico. mexico is not a failed state. let me be clear. there are aspects of mexico that are getting overwhelmed. the issue is not american intervention. we have to find new ways and it's beginning to happen of u.s./mexican cooperation in some ways akin to what the united states did with columbia. >> you're talking about gun laws. i find it interesting, this is where conservatives are going to have a clash with themselves. virginia has gun laws that allow

exemptions for gun shows with really -- your husband did a report on this several -- >> mm-hmm. >> about a year ago. >> and so many guns being used south of the border to kidnap to kill and even kill americans are being gotten at gun shows in the united states of america. so it's the same people that want that to happen can't decry the violence south of the border. and by the way, a lot of the murders in the tri-state region come from guns bought at virginia gun shows. i mean, there are some outrageous laws out there that have nothing to do with second amendment rights. they aren't using safeguards. >> we're not talking about handgu handguns. we're talking about weapons that essentially let you fight small wars. and we're on the other side because of our appetite or thirst or whatever you call it for drugs. we are heavily implicated.

this is not just a mexican problem and it's increasingly our problem because what happens there doesn't stay there. as you say, it's spilling over. and one point, imagine how much our debates change about american foreign policy if mexico begins to get overwhelmed even more. we suddenly don't have the luxury of debating libya and a afghvenu afghanistan. >> okay. so two checks against rick perry and six minutes wasted. so willie -- >> i don't understand. >> it's ludicrous, the whole thing. invading mexico. well, okay, if you want to vote for him. i can't imagine anyone -- >> one more thing. the headline is rick perry wants to invade mexico. but is it so outrageous? we've done it in colombia to give military cooperation to a country that's hurting our country. he's not talking about rolling tanks across the border. >> and we are doing it. we are providing police plus kind of assistance, and we have to. and the real question of the

times is whether mexico's politics will allow this kind of american involvement. we shouldn't kid ourselves. this has the real potential to -- not just affect the quality of life in the united states, but to totally distort america's ability to face the rest of the world if we have to worry what's going on down south. >> you say mexico is not a failed state. and yet, how many people out there getting up, getting ready for the week this morning realize that the casualty rate among innocent civilians in mexico is at least five times higher than our casualty rate in iraq and afghanistan? five times higher. with people killed. and beheaded, left at school playgrounds. >> it's unbelievable. >> it's an incredible undercovered story. incredible. right next door. >> mika thinks it's a waste of time. >> no, i think rick perry's point of view at this point is becoming one. and especially since we have chris christie to talk about, the wall street protest to talk

about, and denmark, as well. so it's just a matter of putting things in perspective. >> let's talk about -- >> chris christie, the "wall street journal" is now saying there are more reports he's coming close to really thinking about this. family is becoming an issue and whether or not they're completely on board. >> mike, what do you think? >> what does this say, actually, mike about mitt romney? >> you know, i don't think it says as much about mitt romney as it does about the clamber and the media. for chris christie. because he would be -- he would be exciting because of his unpredictability -- >> are you saying this is entertainment? >> oh, sure. that's the way many elements of the media view presidential contests, primaries, as entertainment. the rick perry thing is part of the entertainment spectrum. although he will be home in texas with a lot of times on his hands by christmas, i think. >> yeah, i think so. joe, what do you think?

>> he can see mexico, by the way from his house. >> he never said that -- >> are you saying he's the sarah palin. >> no, sarah palin's much smarter than rick perry. what were you asking about chris christie? >> i think all campaigns are about contrast. and the fact is, chris christie, if you just want to look at the politics of it matches up wonderfully against every republican because he's articulate, he's a fighter, he can tell people exactly what he believes. he can explain his philosophy. there aren't a lot of republicans that could do that. unlike mitt romney, he seems to have the courage of his conviction. and the contrast, willie, in the general election with barack obama, there can't be greater contrasts. i remember was it 2008, it said go ahead, eat the donut. >> the waffle. >> just eat it. and the thing is, chris christie

has eaten the waffle, and not only that, he's a tough leader, he tells whether they like him or hate him, tells people exactly what he believes. and guess what? he's willing to go to the mat. he's willing to fight like hell. and it's a lot of things that the president's own base is suggesting he's not willing to do. i think if he got to a general election, he would beat barack obama. and i think he would get over 330 votes. but i think the big question is, does he get to the general election? can he win the primary this late? >> listen, i think he'd be a great contrast to the president. i don't even say this taking sides. i think it would be good for the country. but i wonder he said a few days ago at the reagan library, it has to come from within me, this decision. so if it hasn't come from him yet, i don't know why it would come from him all of a sudden. why hasn't he done it yet? i've reached sarah palin territory where it's like, just let me know when you're in. >> if you talk about contrast, i

think the contrast is there in terms of his approach and his no-nonsense style. but if you look at new jersey, unemployment's high, the schools are not doing better, and if you talk to key senators in that state as they did to the "new york times" this weekend, they will tell you he doesn't deal one-on-one, and he doesn't have a relationship, which are all of the things this president is being criticized for. so ultimately, if the magnifying glass is on chris christie, the question is, will there really be a contrast? >> did you see the story this week? >> i did. i have that in must reads. >> it would also seem just to the casual observer that chris christie's larger problem within the structure of the republican primary is he might be more than just a closet moderate on some key issues for the rabid partisans who come out in republican primaries. >> you know what? i think actually that will help him as he gets deeper into the

primary, when you get past iowa and some of the early states. i think it'll help him that he's -- he's not a blind ideologue on every single issue. what do i know? >> we shall see. >> can we get the denmark story? >> i'd like to do it right now, alex. >> we can do it with mamas and papas. >> well. i want to give a time. it'll be done next in papers. >> what was that? >> you know mamas and papas, great group. >> you're going to have 1,000 people like e-mailing you today, you can never bring up that ham sandwich because there will be 1,000 people saying she didn't choke on a ham sandwich -- what was it? why do you want to talk about that? >> it's going to come back and bite people. coming up this morning -- >> you guys -- you guys are

clueless. >> supporters down there completely oblivious to the fact that the guy they're supporting has taken more money from wall street than any candidate in the history of the planet. >> this is true. it's a very good topic for steve rattner in one hour. coming up this morning, arianna huffington will be here. also, chris mathews, rita wilson. and laura dern. >> lovely rita! up next, politico's top stories of the morning. bill karins is back. oh, he's back. how's your baby? >> i'm in trouble. she's going to have blond hair and blue eyes. >> is she beautiful? >> she can't wear a skirt until she's 14. >> i need a picture. >> i'll give you one a little later. >> doesn't look like anything like you, huh? >> i want a more updated version. >> i have a new one. i have a new one. >> sort of looks like the postman. go ahead, what's the weather

looking like. >> postman, pool boy, who knows. good morning, everyone, take you through a nice october morning. over the weekend, we saw the rain hit and miss. it's going to stay that way for the next two days. i've got good news for everyone in new england as they go wednesday onward. cool morning, turn the heater on in the car probably, 48 degrees, rain showers around pittsburgh and d.c. do carry the umbrella, you'll only need it for five or ten minutes just like over the weekend. as i mentioned, the weather will get better a as the week goes on. all the gorgeous weather in the middle of the country. 80s from minneapolis down through kansas city and dallas, that is what's going to head to the east coast as we go throughout the middle to end of this week. looks like overall, it's a quiet weather pattern and going to stay that way through much of this week. you're watching "morning joe," of course, brewed by starbucks. i want healthy skin for life.

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after claiming for months that he did not want to run for president, insiders are now saying that new jersey governor chris christie is reconsidering that decision. promising to do one thing then doing the opposite, sounds pretty presidential to me. a new study shows that the number of young people in france having unprotected sex has increased by 111% in the last three years. of course, in france, unprotected sex just means no deodorant. in an effort to compete with the ipad, amazon unveiled the new tablet computer called the kindle fire. it's expected to sell well among parents who always buy the wrong thing. >> time now for a look at the morning papers. and we start with one from the "sarasota herald tribune." according to the new study, fish living in marshes exposed to bp crude have showed clear signs of

oil-related toxicity. the study published last week recounts earlier assessments that the gulf has returned to normal following the spill. and the "financial times," greece's cabinet agrees to big budget cuts. including the immediate layoff of thousand of public sector workers. the mood is tense and that transportation workers are planning to wage a strike. yes, what a brilliant move. strike your way into bankruptcy. and now to the guardian. in an attempt to slim its population and cut heart disease, denmark became the first country in the world to impose a fat tax over the weekend. under the measure, all foods will have an additional cost based on saturated fat content. this means the price of butter will almost double with an added $2.87. >> you're happy about this -- >> are you moving to denmark? >> i think it's a good idea. >> you're happy about it. >> guess what happened over the weekend?

shoppers hoarded fatty favorites like pizza, meat, or butter. but the law may not last long. the eu is investigating whether the tax posts competition issues. >> this is great news for bootleggers like willie and myself. we have been bootlegging butter right now in scandinavian countries, like for years. >> for years. we saw this coming. >> we're going to push it all to denmark. >> how exactly -- are countries supposed to pay for the skyrocketing health care costs due to obesity? >> really doesn't matter to us. all i know is i'm going to open up -- i'm going to have land o'lakes over here, i can't believe it's not butter over here. >> no, that's the healthy stuff. >> last week -- >> i wish there was a better one. >> seriously. >> stop. i don't know -- mika doesn't know what you're talking about. go, willie, go, get out of this. go to politico.

>> what did he say? >> it's 6:20 -- >> what did he say? >> i'll explain it later. >> patrick, good morning, sir. >> good morning. >> we're going to pull it together. you'll help us do that. florida's big decision the other day to move the primary to january 31st, setting the presidential republican election process into a frenzy here. later today, i guess, south carolina republicans are going to announce when in january they will hold their primary. fill us in. >> south carolina very much wants to protect their first in the south status. so they're going to make that announcement today. it's likely they're going to try to leapfrog florida. this, of course, causes all sorts of ramifications. you've got nevada moving its primary into january and iowa and new hampshire. what does this all mean? practically besides the fact they're all going to be spending christmas and new year's in iowa and new hampshire, i think this entire process is actually going to get even longer.

you've got this early bunching up of states in january and february, but some states are actually even putting theirs off like new york and california which are big wigs. i think all of this kind of plays into whoever the front runner's hand is. and obviously that's mitt romney. if you've got a national organization, you've got national name recognition, you don't really need to worry when nevada does this or south carolina does this. but when you look at folks like jon huntsman, he decides to sort of tweak the strategy there. so i do think for whoever the front runner is, this sort of helps them become even more established because they don't need to worry about these state by state tweaks. >> patrick, you say half kidding we'll be in iowa and new hampshire for christmas, but there are reports iowa may move up to january 2nd. >> i don't think it's realistic it'll get that close. and we're not going to see the caucuses or primaries on those dates, but the entire sort of gang of 500 of political reporters and candidates themselves will be there.

i think very much in late december to get out the vote. >> and we have to deal with bill gardner who will move that primary up to christmas eve if he has to keep it first. >> i know. i think this is going to get uglier and uglier. and iowa and new hampshire, colder and colder. i hope everybody covering these campaigns has their hat and mittens ready. >> remember flying out on new year's day to get out there. they pushed it up. by the way, if you heard laughing on the set during that report, it wasn't that mika found the calendar funny, she got your joke. >> patrick, thanks so much, man. coming up, a rough weekend for philly fans. first, the eagles' dream team blows a huge lead, then at the stadium across town -- well, across the street, actually, the phillies blow a big lead of their own. sports highlights ahead. plus, fresh off her big win

at the emmies, melissa mccartney brings the house down on "snl." ♪ ♪ [ dog barks ] [ birds chirping ] ♪

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time for some sports. we've got a lot of it.

we're going to start with the major league baseball playoffs because the best team in baseball as of late last night finds itself in the series. cardinals looking to tie the series at one, top of the sixth, ryan tario gcomes around to score. d'backs and brewers in the other game. brewers, runners on the corner, the bunt is laid down, zeigler tries to get the runner at home. milwaukee wins this one 9-4, in control over arizona, leading the series, 2-0. yankees down 5-3, down at the final out, looks like it's going to pop out to end the game, but slipping on the wet on deck circle. robinson comes up, he would have been the winning run if he could've put one out. but he grounds out. tigers win 5-3, the series tied at 1. justin verlander, sabathia.

>> i mean, you lose to verlander tonight, you got burnett, the entire season riding on his right arm. >> it happened a couple of years ago. dangerous history here. that's why it's a five-game series. >> do the yankees come back and play game five? >> i think they'll come back for game five, but i think the tigers will win this. >> wow. these are red sox fans. disqualify him. to the nfl. jets on the road in the sunday night game against the ravens. and they were simply awful. sanchez, scooped up for a 26-yard touchdown, one of three scores by the baltimore defense last night. ravens destroy the jets 34-17. cowboys at home against the unbeaten detroit lions and they were up big. cowboys up 27-3 in the third quarter, but tony romo throws an

interception to bobby carpenter who was a groomsman in romo's wedding back in may. later, romo picked again, returned for another defensive touchdown, it's 27-17. the comeback is on. 27-3, they can't come all the way back, can they? fourth quarter, stafford, look at the catch by calvin johnson, goes up into triple coverage, detroit within six. with under two minutes to go, stafford again finds johnson with the jump ball. lions come back from down 27-3 to win 34-30. the detroit lions are 4-0. cowboys blow a 24-point lead. that's the worst collapse in the history of their franchise. eagles falling apart at home -- >> by the way, detroit last week, down 21-0 and came back against the vikings. >> shawn mccoy, eagles up 20-3 at halftime, 416 yards and two

touchdowns, but the 9ers come back, 12 yards out, san francisco goes up 24-23. eagles driving with over two minutes to go. vick hits jeremy macland. the 49ers recover, and that's your ball game, the comeback is complete. 49ers win 24-23, the eagles dream team lost consecutive games. >> you're feeling walking out of here tonight? >> my feeling? >> yeah. >> do i really have to explain that? do i really have to explain how i'm feeling right now sitting at 1-3? you want me to explain that to everybody here? it's frustrating, it's tough. i don't know. i can't put that in words. >> giants versus cardinals in arizona. eli manning, beautiful throw and catch from 29 yards out. the giants scored 21 fourth quarter points to come back and stun the cardinals 31-27.

3-1 tied with the skins at the top of the division. undefeated packers, 17 yards out, rogers shreds the denver defense. 49-23, the packers also undefeated. the only two undefeated in football in that division. lions and packers. little history, devon hester of the bears, no one does it better. the punt return, that's his 11th career punt return for a touchdown. we show you that because it's an nfl record. the bears beat the panthers and cam newton, 34-29. >> so where are you as far as nfl right now? who were the packers? >> packers look great. saints won again yesterday, the packers look great. their offense is unstoppable. >> for the first time in a long, long time, that thanksgiving day packers -- >> that's right. >> it's going to be -- >> i was going to say, the black-and-blue division, which

everybody's talked about the nfc central -- and it was sort of a joke because they were such weak teams, they're back. >> who would've guessed before the season redskins and giants 3-1, eagles, 1-3. nobody would've called that. >> don't forget about the patriots. they'll be there in the end. herman cain best perry and romney in a poll. you're watching "morning joe." [ male announcer ] for sore muscles use new bengay cold therapy,

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and as a result, i did a lot of praying, did a lot of soul searching, made the decision that my dad would say, if you pissed off about something, do something about it. >> time now for the must-read opinion page. 44 past the hour. joining us now. >> put that one on a plaque in the cain household. >> south carolina republican party karen floyd. over the weekend, rick perry placed second again to herman cain in another straw poll. fresh off his straw poll win last year, the former godfather's pizza ceo won the national federation of republican women straw poll getting over 48% of the vote. rick perry came in a distant second with 14% and mitt romney followed in third place with 13% support. >> so -- so, karen, let me ask you really quickly, what is it -- is herman cain for real?

>> i think he's for real. and the numbers were so significant cumulatively all the players did not add up, the top four players did not add up to his number one. almost 50%, almost a clean win. >> could he win south carolina? that's the state you know the best. you ran the republican party there for quite a while. could cain win south carolina? >> i haven't seen any polling. i can tell you what the federation of republican women say and they say absolutely. the only distinguishing factor on the cross tabs in the poll was geography. and frankly, herman cain does so well along the southeastern states i believe he would play well. rick perry also because he's a southern would play well. >> you think rick perry right now would win south carolina? >> gosh, i hate being asked something like that, but probably. >> you know, what about -- >> what about chris christie? you said there's another part of the poll -- >> yeah, there was a question -- >> or palin. >> yeah, there was a question that said how comfortable are you with the slate as it stands? 80% of the women said we're very

comfortable. the 20%, 65% of them said chris christie or sarah palin wouldn't make any difference. but of the remaining 35%, chris christie came in as an absolute it would make a difference. >> you know, it's just interesting looking at -- this is a website that was launched over the weekend. and the women in this poll are very specific to the area, but it's very interesting when you look at the candidates. because 80%, 83% don't believe climate change is affected by human activities. 60% don't believe in evolution. you have 68% attending church, 77% saying someone in their household has a personal firearm. these are very specific social dynamics that are specific to south carolina. >> no, not at all. this was the federation of republican women. so 41 states participated. >> okay. >> so this was an incredibly -- i believe it was the most

significant poll that's ever been conducted in this very, very tight universe, and this very, very tight universe every state in the united states. 41 of 50 states participated. and this is the leadership of the republican federation. so you had to be in order to vote, you had to be a delegate to the convention, you had to be the president of the state federation. so it's really the top tier of your activist or your grass roots. so it's not specific to south carolina, it is a -- >> nationwide. >> nationwide, absolutely. and it was done in kansas city, missouri. with 60% of the attendees that actually went through the poll itself. >> so let me ask you one more question. >> which is why herman cain is a viable candidate. >> also why activists are not representative. activists by definition tend to lean far right or far left depending upon the party. >> there were two questions that kind of threw me that juxtapose that. the first was 50% of them

believed or self-identify as tea party. and the second, 50% self-identified as tea party and the second question is, do you believe that social -- kind of social values should be more -- are more important -- or do you want a moderate with a better chance to win? it was almost a split. and it split geographically. it didn't split western states were more moderate. >> some very fortunate women took this poll. because only 1.2% said they were out of work and looking for work. that's extraordinary. >> yeah. and i'll tell you the breakdown, this another thing i thought was fascinating. there was a large percentage of retirees, but the second were business owners. you have these women that have been part of the federation for many years, and this resurgence of formidable, conservative women. and i think it has to do with

this idea that there's a coming of the conservative republican party. >> and if you look at the results of this, you wonder who can win of the field that's out there, and then you also wonder about chris christie who frank rooney wrote about in the "new york times." because remember friday, eugene's piece in the "washington post." everybody -- >> started weighing in. >> they were weighing in. they put his picture up a week ago. >> it was a full-blown battle. >> yeah. so frank rooney who has had his own battle with obesity wrote an incredible -- >> haven't we all -- >> -- piece that was very raw and honest about his own battle. but he says this about chris christie because, of course, eugene was saying you need some discipline, so i think was michael kinsly calling him fat. let's talk about discipline. it's not an attribute that carries through in a consistent coherent fashion to all facets of a person's life. disciplined or undisciplined behavior on one front doesn't

augur identical behavior on others. someone can be a flawless steward of his or her fizz seek and a wanton lunatic in all else. ever been to hollywood? i think the whole thing is being misunderstood, honestly. about his weight. >> well, rooney made some other great points in there. >> well, sure. well, this is -- this is frank bruni talking more personally about the state of obesity in america and where it comes from. and i really connect with this. he says the thinness that i managed in college didn't reflect laudable self-control. it reflected bulimia and laxatives. my borderline obesity in my mid-30s wasn't a sign of drift, professionally i was working harder and more reliablely than ever. and my sustained anguish over my waistline and tortured efforts to regulate it bespoke a kind of shallowness and vanity that i'm not looking for in politicians.

it seems too prevalent among them already. no two stomachs are precisely alike and i know where of i speak. i was born with such a fierce, unappeaseable hunger that as a toddler i threw screaming fits if i didn't get, say, a third hamburg hamburger. he is talking about the american condition, by the way. for a lot of people. >> well, i think for a lot of people. but richard, there is something, though, about the stress of the job being president of the united states that i think may be natural selection that we haven't had an obese president since taft. it is a hard job. the campaign the way they do, to be on the go nonstop. there's a reason why most are in great shape. >> absolutely. but i think what bruni's point, it's worth thinking about. there's no correlations or connections. these columns that came out the other day to sort of read into a candidate's political behavior or potential leadership quality

simply by waistline, seems to me silly. >> yeah, i think so too. >> karen floyd, good to see you. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose -- to make the world a safer place. that's the value of performance.

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christie's a unique, successful governor, and i think would fair very well against the president. but the call is his. i'd be surprised at this point if he got in. >> just because of the calendar? >> the calendar and because he's said for a year he's not. >> welcome back to "morning joe." look at the capitol as the sun comes up over washington. mike barnicle is still with us. and joining the table financier and "morning joe" economic analyst steve rattner is back with us. very good to have you here. >> good morning, mika. >> i'm outnumbered this morning when it comes to occupying wall street. i just am. >> what? >> it's called occupy wall street. >> i need to ask steve a question here. and i am, as you know, maybe

it's just because i'm sort of passive, i'm flat-liner, very zen. >> i think most people would describe you that way. i agree, that's definitely a good way. >> even-tempered. >> even-tempered. >> predictable. >> i've been talking about keeping calm, avoiding rhetorical flashes. but you had a column yesterday where you accused in politico, i believe it was, where you accused mika's dear friend -- >> what? >> ron suskin of a "drive-by shooting" of the president of the united states. that is awfully hostile. and if i may say so, it goes against the president's very call for civility in this country. >> please. >> i didn't think the book was particularly civil. it portrayed a white house of a dysfunctional president and dysfunctional economic team, anti-women, a whole thing. and all i tried to say was i was there for six months, i was

there every day, maybe this stuff was going on, but it was not the white house i saw. i saw a calm, carrying on to your point, decisive president. >> you don't think it was dysfunctional? we've all heard from everybody that's still working there that the economic team was dysfunctional. you don't think it is? >> look, as i said, i was not part of every economic decision. i had my job, which was autos. tough issues. but the point is that all the issues were tough issues. we had a banking system on the verge of meltdown. why is it a surprise they spent seven hours arguing about this stuff? >> what do you mean by drive by shooting of the president? >> i meant he took things people said to him in their own interest without putting balance into it. and i think there was a lot of people who spoke to him who got rewarded by treating well and others who didn't who got rewarded by not being treated very well. >> interesting.

>> it just seemed harsh to me. >> well -- >> seemed like a harsh assessment. you've obviously never written a 500-page book. it's a "morning joe" joke. >> it's the kind of interview when that happens that you just let the guy go. you just let it breathe so he can paint his own picture in front of us. and that's what ron did. >> he did say to mika, we're referencing -- he didn't say to mika. i don't know if you've ever written a 500-page book before -- which i thought was on the border, but then when he asked her to go fix him some scrambled eggs. >> that was over the line. >> and make sure they're not too runny. >> i thought at that point, he crossed the line. >> i completely disagreed with his assessment of the women problem. i appreciate your looking at it on other levels having been there yourself. i've never seen someone on our

set more rabid to sell books. >> stop that. that's not true! that is not true! i was far more rabid to sell my book than he was! >> that was a mess. >> if you could follow my guide in the future and just keep calm and carry on. i think drive by shooting was -- i think that was rhetorically inflammatory. that's all i'm going to say. >> okay. >> and i think we can move on now and talk about important matters. >> i thought it was fascinating article. >> because, again, i think and mike barnicle hears it all the time that there is the belief that a lot that he wrote about in that book is actually the truth. that you talk to business people that go in and go out and go in and go out, most of them say it's the most dysfunctional white house economically that they've ever seen. >> yeah, at the larry summers level, the staff level, the natural, you know, jealous that occurs.

stay away from the president, i'm going to talk to the president, that sort of the stuff. you hear over and over again that during that period of time when they were dealing with all the issues that you indicated they were dealing with. that, you know, larry summers may have been the wrong guy for that position. >> look, honestly, and now i'm going to get taken down by all four of you. >> no. >> i can't imagine -- i cannot imagine this administration dealing with the magnitude of problems it had to deal with without larry summers there. his breath of experience, his knowledge of these issues, his judgment on the economy, not always perfect. look, a lot of mistakes were made. nobody's going to argue that. but i remember sitting there in the west wing of the white house thinking to myself, doing this without larry summers would be doing it the hard way. he has flaws, we all have flaws. even joe has a flaw or two. >> i know -- >> i'm going to be zen about that. >> a drive by shooting of joe. >> it was a drive by shooting of

me -- -- i thought summers, though, there aren't adults around, this wouldn't have happened with clinton -- >> and the first couple of years of the clinton white house were smooth sailing. >> no one we spoke to or at least i spoke to ever had anything to say about larry's intellect and his abilities. it was his personality that sometimes caused dysfunction, not what he was thinking. >> and the food on his shirt. >> that was the problem. >> he has a personality, a large -- as i said in my piece yesterday, he has a larger than life personality. not only didn't bother me, i thought he was terrific to work for, i thought he was on his game. and again, i'm not trying to make excuses, it sounds like i am. these were really tough times. imagine, you are sitting in the west wing of the white house in march of 2009, the stock market was plummeting. we're losing 700,000 jobs a month. we didn't know if we were going to have a banking system. we didn't know if we were going to have an auto industry.

and we're in completely unchartered waters trying to figure this stuff out. the it was really, really hard. >> if your first few weeks in the white house, which in the best of times was a difficult transition. >> name one that's gone perfectly. let's get to other news. >> the carter transition. today's "wall street journal" reports that chris christie is expected to announce within days whether or not he will join the 2012 race. as the governor reportedly deliberates the logistics of a la late bid, the last republican nominee had frank advice for chris christie. >> in past years we've had people whose names popped up and they've been a flavor of the month. i'm a great admirer of chris christie, i think he'd be a very viable candidate. but remember, he's starting from way behind in fund raising and organization. if governor christie decides to run, i wish him luck.

i think that there is a bit of a caution that always -- the swimming pool looks a lot better until you jump right in. the water may not be quite as warm as you think. >> what a great line. >> chilly waters. >> from a guy who knows. john mccain was loved by the press and then he jumped in and they savaged him. perry is learning that it's one thing to be a potential candidate and another -- what do you think about chris christie? >> too late? >> right now, he's the darling of wall street. wall street which has turned very hostile to the president of late, particularly the last round of budget and tax cuts has been egging this guy on and dying for him to come in. but i do agree with you, joe, i think there's a little bit of it's sometimes more appealing to be the guy outside rather than the guy once you get in there and what happens to rick perry. and the last thing i'd say is, look, i've been through several democratic cycles, and every cycle people are disappointing the candidates. in 1992, gore and bill bradley.

in 2004, people were unhappy with kerry, so they egged howard dean into the race. it feels to me he probably won't run and if he did, he would have a tougher time than people think he would have because his views are pretty liberal, he's new to this, this is not an amateur sport, this is the big leagues. >> moving on -- >> and looking at the poll that karen brought. >> yes. >> i think chris christie's a main street republican, but read some of the -- this is from the leadership -- >> the national federation of republican -- >> republican women. >> and read some of the -- this is the party of activists that chris christie's jumping into. >> 83% of the women polled don't believe that climate change is affected by human activities, 60% don't believe in evolution,

77% say they or someone in their household own a personal firearm. and here's an eye-catching stat, only 1.2% of these women polled said they were out of work and looking for work. >> wow. >> those are -- >> they're in leadership positions. >> that is not -- >> that's leadership. that's in leadership positions in the republican party. that is not chris christie's party. >> definitely not his crowd. >> that's the new jersey republican -- >> and the calendar is not his friend. we talked to patrick gavin from politico. you could see new hampshire by the end of the year. that's less than three months before ballots are cast. during which time he'd have to introduce himself to the country and get a campaign up and running. that is not a lot of time. >> the question is -- >> you're talking about chris christie or not, what they're doing with the calendar is insane. the next thing we know we'll be spending the fourth of july the year before getting ready for the primary. >> you laugh about that, but the long time secretary of state in new hampshire has the power to set the date of the new

hampshire primary. and he has vowed that they will always be first. you could have it on thanksgiving day. >> it's crazy. >> wow. it is. >> it would be very entertaining. i hope he doesn't do it for the entertainment value and for the media because that's what everybody wants really badly, to cover this story. and he ought to do it because he thinks he can win. moving on now, police in new york arresting roughly 700 protesters for blocking traffic on the brooklyn bridge over the weekend. crowds in downtown new york city are expected to grow as union leaders descend on wall street for rallies expected to take place this week. and now those demonstrating against corporate greed and wall street say they are in for the long haul. >> i have two degrees, i barely make enough money to pay my way. you know, i don't even pay my student loans each month because i can't afford it. >> you have a lot of kids graduating college, can't find jobs. that's what happened in cairo and madrid. you don't want those riots here. >> interesting. anyone want to give their take

on this? i think these are going to grow. nick christof has a piece -- >> what's he saying? >> i'll read from his piece in the sunday times. i tweeted that the protest reminded me a bit of tahrir square in cairo. true, no bullets were wizzing around, but there is the same cohort of alienated young people and the same savvy use of twitter and social media to recruit more participants. most of all, there's a similar tide of youthful frustration with a political and economic system that protesters regard as broken, corrupt, unresponsive, and unaccountable. >> what do you think of that, mika? >> well, look, my dad talked about this two years ago, not this specifically, not these people specifically, but about the concept of the divisions in our society leading to rioting in the streets. and i think he seemed a little

bit off that day to the people sitting on the set. having said that, he's been right about everything. and i think he's going to be right about this. >> yes, i think the broad point here is not about these particular protesters, it is this division now between the average american and those who have done well. and you have this incredible inequality which we've talked about before. the enormous sense of disparity between those at the top and those at the bottom. and if you look historically, that has brought about enormous change whether you go back to the guilded age with teddy roosevelt and the progressive era after it, the depression and all the laws and changes that fdr put in place for worker protection and all that. i think people of my class don't always get is you can't sort of ride along on top and ignore everybody on bottom, or it's going to work to our detriment. >> i applaud the energy, the activism, i think they're on the

wrong street. they have been on pennsylvania avenue on both sides. in the congress, and in the white house, because they have to get together in washington, d.c. and do something for the country rather than for their own reelection. >> you know -- sorry. remember the line we saw outside the holiday inn? i think it was friday. he checked, it was a jobs line. it was like three blocks long. really well-dressed people holding papers and briefcases desperate for a job waiting for hours and hours and hours in line. >> it used to be, mika, that what you were just talking about, people were there because of the fear of the future. the fear of the future is now the fear of the end of this week. >> yeah. >> that's the future. >> so willie, what do you think? nick kristof comparing what happened here to what happened in egypt and arab springs? >> i think he made the point himself that no one's being shot in the streets as they were over the course of 30 years under

mubarak and other places. but i think protests are great in a democratic society. remember during the arab spring, everyone said, where are the americans? why don't the americans come out in the street? this is good, but let's not go too far and compare them to people who are being shot in the streets in the arab world. >> i agree. and i also agree with mike barnicle that the problem is that washington, d.c. right now is owned by politicians who are owned by wall street. you've got a congress that's owned by wall street, a president that has taken in more money from wall street interests than any other politician in the history of this republic. there's not a that close second. >> and yet wall street could not be angrier at this president. it would not be possible for wall street to be angrier with this president. >> which i think speaks more about wall street than it does about what this president has done to wall street, which is not much at all. would you not agree? >> i would agree with that, actually. i would agree with that.

>> i think as far as regulations -- if they're upset at this president because of new regulations imposed on wall street, well -- i think their skin is a little thin. >> a little thin, although dodd/frank is not without consequences for our ability to compete. it's not without consequences and the rhetoric has been tough. >> when i talk and i'm sure you're the same way, mike. when we talk to people that run wall street, they don't usually talk about the regulations that is -- that are the cause of the disconnect between them and this white house. they talk about his lack of understanding on what creates a new job. >> his disinterest. >> and everything you just said i think is exactly why those people are there. it's why it's happening. >> we'll see. >> it wouldn't be happening. >> perhaps. coming up, arkansianna huffington and rita wilson will be here onset. up next, chris mathews joins the conversation.

you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks.

the real deal is that we need victories in real life for ordinary people who want jobs that don't have them and want full-time jobs that are working part-time are killing themselves and hadn't had a raise in ten years. and what brings real victories is cooperation. and somehow we got to realign that. >> with us now from washington is the host of msnbc's "hardball" chris matthews. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you, joe. >> talking about chris christie, the possibility of him jumping in. it's awfully late in the calendar, chris, for that to happen. judging what you know about politics, what you've known about presidential politics, and also what you know about the new campaign finance laws, is this more possible in 2012 than ever

before? or is it too late? >> just in terms of the mood of the country is so volatile right now, they jump around, all of a sudden herman cain is hot. and trump was hot, he was leading the polls for a week or two back in this year. and these are strange times, and people are desperately reaching for what they see as some sort of deliverance from what's going on. the conditions are terrible, and the country's not happy. and who can capture the mood and create some sort of prospect for a better country? and who offers the prospect that connects with the mood? it's going to be very tricky. and i do think it's a time where anything can change in a week or two. i think that's what christie's enjoying right now. my relatives from new jersey are all republicans and they love him. i think in new jersey, 54% approval rating shows he has tremendous support in new jersey amongst republicans who are in the minority in that state. but the people who know him

really like him in that party, which i think is his big plus right now. >> chris, you were there in 1979, you remember better than anybody else here because you had a front-row view -- >> yeah. thanks for reminding me. >> of the "malaise." i'm just curious, again, and i'll say it here so you don't have to. a word that was never used in any of jimmy carter's speech, but it's a feeling in america today in 2011 much like you were experiencing inside that white house in 1979? are there parallels? >> let me to where that ended up. being on marine one the morning of the election of 1980 and losing by ten points, and i was on the helicopter with the president as a speech writer. and i felt like we were in a giant bird that was dying. that was my image of what it felt like in that helicopter. that year really began as you describe it in the summer of '79. we're not ahead of schedule

here. the people have begun to make up their mind about next year. this is not early in the campaign. this is a pretty mature part of the 2012 electoral decision making going on right now. people are getting committed one side or the other and probably against the president in many cases. and that decision, the only thing that delayed that, joe, was the iranian hostage crisis and mika knows that too, in the sense there was a national unity that took over for several months there that killed the kennedy campaign and gave carter an opportunity to reengage as our national leader. he didn't really take advantage of it. he went to the rose garden and didn't engage in the campaign effectively or combatively. but really it began then. and i think we're in that period now of decision making. and i think the country has three things they're going to look at. conditions, which work against the president. values which can go both ways. and tone, which i think also works against the president. if you're really angry right now, if you're cranky even,

against everybody, even the callers that call into tv shows like christie was with that woman about where he educates his children. that connects. this is no time to say to people keep calm and carry on. they don't want to hear that down at wall street. the people demonstrating today. >> well, let me ask you about that since you brought it up, chris. >> sure. >> where do you think those protests on wall street stand in terms of the big picture? not only just politics, but the state of this country? are they representative? >> well, you know, labor hasn't been that energetic. the organized labor people, they haven't gotten their -- i would expect in these economic times, you would see million people marches to washington for jobs. that's the dog that hasn't barked. where's the big demonstration for jobs? i mean, it's that the priority of the country, and it seems like it would be in terms of underemployment, part-time employment, no real packages. forget about it.

so i mean, where is that? where are the no-contract, no peace. where's that demand on part of working men and women. you don't hear it. so i guess maybe this, mika, is the beginning of that. it seems a bit impromptu, but maybe that's the beginning of a national demand, something in the streets that really as joe said and i think you agree, should end up in washington where the policy makers are. >> yeah. >> you know, chris, as far as marching on washington for jobs, the strength of the unions we all know is nowhere near it was 20 and 30 years ago. but do you think there is a larger issue involved here? and it's not whether chris christie or any other politician can speak truth to power so much as it might be -- is the american electorate, the american public, are we ready to really hear and take in the real truth of this? that things have changed

drastically, rally, and perhaps for a long, long time? >> well, that's the realism down the road. i think the first thing is somebody connect with the feeling in the country of uncertainty. you pick up -- if you're 68 years old or 75 years old right now, you're watching your retirement funds dwindle. your health may be holding on, but you're looking at maybe a 20-year retirement right now if you're fortunate and you won't have the money for that. if you're approaching retirement and thinking, i've been kicking into this 401(k) and it gets smaller, i work an extra two years and i'm poorer than i was two years ago. if you're a young person like our kids, you're looking at a job market that isn't there. there's no recruiters out there except the genius kids will always get jobs. but the "b" kids, the "b" and "c" kids, it's tough out there. i can't think of an age group right now that feels happy. and this president, i think comes across as a bit debonair.

casual's not fair, but breezy, the country wants somebody -- the first thing they want before they want deliverance and a future, they want somebody with them in the present. do you get it? do you get how angry i am? and that's what christie connects to. almost free-floating anger he seems to reflect. the thing about him that doesn't appeal to people. i know he's overweight and he talks about it. that's not what people like about him. although that made part of his attitude. i think that is part of it. but you know what? i'm ticked off. and you're ticked off. so we're in the same country. is obama ticked off? is mitt romney ticked off? i don't think so. >> no. those two contrasts he brings up. is obama ticked off? no, he's not ticked off. is mitt romney ticked off? no, they're too zen. i know i'm zen, and you're considered i have no blood pressure. those guys aren't ticked off. >> chris alluded to it --

>> that's a great point, chris. >> where do your kids go to school? they don't go to public school, it's none of your business. >> people love that. >> this talks about the kind of candidate in times like these people draw to. you talk to the kennedys and ethel kennedy's talked about it. joe jr. talked about this all the time. they were never able to put their arms around the fact that after bobby's assassination a lot of bobby supporters went over to george wallace. and they still will come up and ask -- they will still ask, what was that about? how could our progressive heroes votes go to a guy as repugnant as george wallace? and it wasn't about ideology, it's about what bobby had, it's about what other outsiders had. bobby seemed like an outsider, willie, and chris is exactly right. is this person upset like i'm upset?

>> no idea. >> and i'm not trying to put the mantle of bobby kennedy on chris christie, but i'm following up on what chris said. that is voters attach to people they can relate. >> and many in new jersey have responded. chris, against that backdrop, everything you've just said, i want to ask you about your special tonight, 7:00 eastern, it's called the great democratic debate. what is the great democratic debate? >> well, the republicans are trying to pick a candidate and they don't have a candidate. the democrats have a candidate, what they don't have is a campaign figured out. how do they hold the white house for four more years? and a lot of the people you hear from on msnbc who want a real radical, give 'em hell campaign, and a lot of people come along like mark penn and say you're crazy to do that, the country's not going to join you on the left. it's a center/right country, be

careful of a president looking too far left. we're having that big debate. how does obama position himself to get reelected? so we've got michael moore, who you can predict will probably be on the progressive left. you've got mark penn who is with the clintons, rendell who will go to the right, and bernie sanders. and we've got this big debate among journalists, historians, doug brinkley goes left. this is a big issue. i think it's a like a baseball player. i don't know baseball that well, but i think the batter has to set up for a curve or fast ball. you can't decide after the pitch is thrown whether you're going to swing a certain way. i think obama has to begin to decide now, is he going to go left or where he was when he got elected? somewhere in the middle like clinton? and it's a big decision for the democrats. >> chris matthews, we look forward to that. thank you very much. >> thanks, mika. >> thank you, chris. and the special edition "the great democratic debate" is live

at 7:00 eastern time right here on msnbc. we'll be right back with arianna huffington and rita wilson. keep it here on "morning joe."

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36 past the hour. joining us now, the president and editor in chief of the huffington post media group. arianna huffington. arianna and aol huffington post has launched a new section of the website devoted to the baby boom generation. and actress rita wilson is the editor at large, and joining us on the set, as well. welcome to you both. welcome back. rita, great to have you with us. >> rita, you're taking over the world. you start with politics and entertainment and then you're doing -- boomers. >> weddings. >> what do you not do? >> actually, you know what gave me the idea was when rita at the age of 49 did "chicago" on broadway, which had been a lifelong dream. and she did dancing and singing on broadway. the whole essence of that site

is it's never too late to follow your dreams. celebrate aging, right? >> boomers have reshaped what we do at 49. >> just clearly when you talk to mike. >> i think, rita, i always think my parents were at 40 like most people are today at 50, not just my parents, but our parents seem to be old when they get to 40. >> oh, so old. >> and you go back and look at pictures -- not my parents, of course, they look great. but they looked old at 40. boomers are pushing -- just pushing -- >> either that or we're all clueless. >> we know so much more now. our parents were drinking and smoking when they were pregnant. not my parents, but some -- >> yeah, absolutely. >> and i had a realization. my mom always said life begins at 40. and i thought that was a good, positive thing to hear. but also nowadays it seems that people are instead of winding down, which our parents'

generation did, people seem to be winding up. >> yes. >> and there's so much to do. >> "chicago" at 49. that's outrageous. >> it was terrifying to me. but it was a great experience because it actually told me if you do what you want to do no matter what time you do it, if you challenge yourself and scare yourself, it's -- you're going to grow from the process and get something out of it. >> you said something fascinating. i remember turning 40, and everybody goes, oh, that must be horrible. i loved it because i took off my skateboard shoes -- >> -- >> no, seriously, i stopped trying to keep up with my kids. and my kids would say, come on, dad, jump on the skateboard. and i said, i'm too old. i'll just watch you. but you said that you quoted sting who said the last ten years have been the best -- you said the 50s are the best because you know who you are.

>> you know who you are. i think you stop caring about what people think. and you -- so you have a bit of wisdom, which is one of the good things. >> it definitely is not your parents' 50, not your parents' 40 either. but is it what you're saying? because aren't there some drawbacks to being 50 that you address, as well? will you? challenges? >> yes, yes -- >> it hurts. it hurts. >> we have a great -- by bill maher who says just that. my brain is sharper than it has been. you gain in wisdom, but you do lose definitely in terms of that complete, instant vibrancy. >> right. >> physically. >> one of the things that you and i have always connected on is our parents coming from a shared greek heritage, our parents and the older people in

the families were always revered, they were, you know, kind of they had earned the position in the family. and they weren't sort of put out to pasture. and that sort of age was something that was valuable. and that's something we want to explore and make sure that in, you know, we can highlight. >> mothers knew each other. our mothers lived with us, you know, helped take care of the children. that whole sense of the extended family where the parents are not sent off to some nursing home but integrated in the family. there's also another way to treat aging. >> yes. >> very different than here. >> well, my outlook is -- i have two parents in their 80s and both actively working full-time. >> that's incredible. >> there's no difference between them at 80 to 70 to 60 to 50. none. >> everyone's healthier. at least they know, knock on wood. >> they take care of my kids, go on vacations, and they work.

>> we always debate about social security and medicare and we've got to extend -- 65 is not the retirement age, it's not rel vent anymore. there are a lot of industries -- like, for instance, the airline industries kick pilots out at 60. we're going to have to re-examine our workforce in a way -- >> i agree. >> i can tell you with my dad who passed away this past year, he retired, and i can mark his collapse. and people said at what point did you start to lose it? and i said ten years ago when he retired. we don't want people to stop at 65. because like you said -- energetic, vibrant, the "post" says today, they've learned so much. >> the internet, computers, ability to use social media, there's no age restriction on that. >> no. >> so you can stay young to a certain extent far longer than you could before all those tools. and what it does is you've alluded to it earlier, when you get to be 55, 56, whatever, if you've lived a certain life,

there's a freedom that comes at that age. >> right. >> there's a freedom you arrive at because you no longer, as you indicated, you no longer care what so and so thinks. you are who you are and that's it, let's get on with it. >> that's right. you care about what you think and what you believe and you're able to sort of clarify that in a much better way, and a much simpler way. you're cleaning house. getting rid of the things that don't work and going with the things that do. >> and your kids know who you are. >> that's true. they do. >> well -- >> it's funny because i have a mom who's 90. she's going to be 90 next month. and she's very independent, and very vibrant, finally got her to accept a little bit of help. but at the same time, she's a great grandmother, i just became a grandmother at my son has a 7-month-old daughter. >> that's another thing, when i was growing up, grand moms didn't look like you -- it's a great new world.

and by the way -- grandpas didn't look like -- i understand you went to the 60th birthday party. and i cannot tell you whether it was nicole wallace last week here last week lusting off sting or my wife or so many other, they would leap for that grandpa any day of the week. but the event for robin hood, foundation. you were there and you say it was amazing. >> it was one of those moments at this sting concert that was celebrating his 60th birthday that was one of those moments that you thought, oh, i'm witnessing a transcendent moment where people would say were you there at sting's 60th birthday? he paired these wonderful musicians together. bruce springsteen had an opera singer -- and it's a welsh name and i'm going to get it wrong, a baritone who sang "roxanne."

robert downy jr. sang "driven to tears." >> his son was there. >> his son joe. >> it was -- >> the whole family was there. >> one night stevie wonder was there. >> stevie wonder, a lot of boomers were playing. a lot of boomers were coming out, which brings me to another point. our music. our generation of music was j t just -- we had a lot of good music. >> incredible music. >> there is one thing we should also stress is that boomers are losing jobs at disproportionate numbers right now. so we also need to think of reinvention, not just something that is -- something that we choose to do, but often something people have to do. they have to find new ways to make a living, new ways to connect with their families. >> absolutely. i think retirement's going to become a thing of the past for a lot of people. by the way, andy rooney -- >> a role model. >> the fact that he's cutting back at 93 should tell you

something. he's a good friend of mine. >> 93? >> or 94. i'll have to get his age. >> incredible. >> but he's amazing. and i mean, i don't know if you all saw his piece, we're going to show a little bit of it later. 92 alex says. >> you're trying to make him older than he is. what are you doing? >> he's still going to work, but that work is what kept him exactly where he is and who he is. i know that from talking to him. >> right. >> whatever you are engaged in, whatever drives you to get up in the morning and be excited about the day. >> yep. >> you look at andy rooney at 92, 93, your father still traveling around the world by himself. t. boone pickens comes here all the time. >> he says guess how old i am? >> every time. >> the new section is called "huff post 50." thank you so much. >> thank you. >> fun to have you on the set.

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healthy recipes of fresh meat and fresh veggies so fresh the only preservative we use is the fridge freshpet fresh food for fido 49 past the hour. look at that pretty shot of new york city. well, today starbucks coffee is announcing a new initiative we previewed this last friday when howard was on the show. it's called jobs for usa. teaming up with opportunity finance networks, starbucks will collect donations of $5 or more from customers to stimulate job growth in the united states. now, give will get a red, white & blue wristband that says "indivisible." the program is about using

starbucks' scale for good. of course starbucks is a proud sponsor of "morning joe" and howard will be here tomorrow to discuss the announcement further. bottom line is a lot of folks like howard who have the scale and platform he does are feeling they have to jump in and get involved themselves. i think it's great. >> it's great that the focus is on jobs. mike, that's where people are hurting right now. we have a real crisis out there. mika was talking about job fairs and people struggling. you talk about ariana, boomers, people in their 50s out of work for the first time. they can't find a new job. we are in crisis mode now. >> it's been that way for quite some time. there is obviously the economic aspect of being jobless and the pride aspect of being jobless. what it's also doing, and we can see it in the protests on wall street, boston and other major cities, it saps the strength

people have mentally in the future of the country. we have believed in the future. people are now wondering, what is this all about now here in this country? >> just so you know, we'll get more from howard, but 100% of the donations go to funding loans to community businesses and helping people. there will be a website, create jobs for usa.org. you know, it's pretty big. >> hopefully it spurs other corporations into action. obviously starbucks isn't going to be able to do it by itself, but hopefully others will start pitching in. >> up next, andy rooney says good-bye to "60 minutes" and goes out with one final request. we'll be right back. coffee doesn't have vitamins... unless you want it to. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste.

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♪ andy rooney last night. let's talk about the end of an era that began on sunday nights in 1978. andy rooney deliver last night the last of his 1,097 commentaries to close out "60 minutes." he talked about his career and thanked the viewers in his own cranky way. >> all this time i have been paid to say what is on my mind on television. you don't get any luckier in

life than that. this is a moment i have dreaded. i wish i could do this forever. i can't though. i spent my first 50 years trying to become well known as a writer. and the next 30 trying to avoid being famous. i walk down the street now or go to a football game and people shout, hey, andy! i hate that. i don't say this often, but thank you. although, if you do see me in a restaurant, please just let me eat my dinner. >> he's really not that cranky. >> that's funny. >> perfect note to go out. >> he's not that cranky. some of my best memories at cbs are sitting with andy with him being sweet, telling me wonderful stories about his family and criticizing my shoes and talking about life. >> i have a little trouble believing it when you go on the highest rated news program on television for 30 years and say you don't want to be famous.

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every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned into a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ in past years, we have had people's names pop up and they are the flavor of the month. i'm a great admirer of governor chris christie. he would be a viable candidate.

remember, he's starting from way behind in fund-raising and organization. if he decides to run, i wish him luck. i think that there is a bit of a caution that always -- the swimming pool looks better until you jump right in. the water may not be quite as warm as you think. >> good morning. it's 8:00 on the east coast as you take a live look at new york city. welcome back to "morning joe." back with us on set we have michael barnacle and richard hosz. >> today is the big day. the next 24, 48 hours the wall street journal says chris christie will make his decision. >> oh. great. okay. >> so the aides are huddled together. the journal suggests now's the time. what do you think? >> well, um -- >> are you ready to -- you getting ready to get excited? >> yeah, i think it will be rough. i guess it will be exciting.

do you think it's going to happen? >> i don't know. you know, i don't think he knows. >> yeah. >> i think there are a lot of questions still to be answered. >> yeah. >> we'll find out. >> yes, we will. a lot going on. where do you want to start? chris christie, rick perry, denmark? denmark? >> we'll stay away from denmark as long as we can. >> i love the denmark story. >> i hate it. let's talk about chris christie. as far as the political circles, that was the talk -- it was deafening this weekend. >> it is. >> there is one thing i find curious. >> what is that? >> why is it when the yankees were ahead by six runs against the tigers in game one i knew the game was over, but up by seven against the rays when the season was on the line i knew they were going to tank? >> don't make it about the yankees. >> everything is about the sox! and tito got fired. >> it was a mutual decision. enough is enough.

eight years is a long time in this market. >> he's been getting trashed. remember, he won two world series after 86 years. let's not forget that. >> yes. >> here's the deal. when you're down 3-0 against the yankees in 2004 you want a manager to walk in and go, what ghost of who? let's get something to drink. >> when you're in a dive like they were in, you don't need tito to saunter in and act like nothing is wrong when there is a lot wrong. >> i'm not saying he should have been fired. i'm saying these people, oh, tito sucks. he doesn't. >> he was the right manager for the time. it's time to move on. >> now the problem is a.j. burnett. the yankees lost last night and move beyond the red sox and yankee fans such as myself are uneasy about a five-game series with detroit. >> you should be uneasy.

you should. verlander hasn't really had his swing at it yet. so is burnett on the mound next? >> c.c. tonight -- >> that's tonight, okay. then you've got to go to burnett. are you surprised he made it to the rotation? >> i'm not sure why pitching, throwing 25 balls like the other night puts pitchers on the bench for several days. i don't understand the process by which both verlander and sabathia missed two games. >> any other surprises this weekend? >> the phillies looked like they would run away with the series. the cardinals came back to beat them. >> the cardinals beat the phillies? they were up 4-0! >> they came back. we have highlights in sports. >> i can't see sports this weekend. i'm especially excited to see that one. >> liverpool won. i don't know about alabama. you go to the swamp on a saturday night you never know. >> it all changes on saturday in

tuscaloosa when the commodores move into town. >> yeah. >> not only are they moving in with coed football you have the morning joe brew crew. >> i can't believe i allowed this to happen. >> i don't sense a high degree of interest on your part? >> the good people at the university of alabama, unlike me, plan ahead. last year they called and said come on down. we're going to be taping -- doing the show live from pence cola on thursday and tuscaloosa on friday. >> terrific. that will be great. >> i resent the fact that you scheduled us for homecoming this year. that's going on the locker room bulletin board. >> i just can't -- >> let's go to news. >> thank you. i got it. texas governor rick perry's campaign is on the defensive over a report in the washington post. >> what? >> about his family's old

hunting camp which had a racially charged name. the racial epithet was visible on a rock at the entrance of the camp as recently as three years ago. perry's campaign maintains the name was changed soon after perry's father leased the property almost 30 years ago. richard looks bored. herman cain, the only african-american presidential candidate responded to the story yesterday. >> that is on a more vile negative word than the n-word and for him to leave it that long before i hear they finally painted over it is just plain insensitive to a lot of black people in this country. >> governor perry's spokesman responded to cain's comments saying, mr. cain is wrong about the perry family's quick action to eliminate the word on the rock, but is right the word written by others long ago is insensitive and offensive. that's why the perrys took quick

obsce it. controversial remarks made on military intervention. now we have news here. speaking to voters in new hampshire on saturday, the governor said he would consider sending u.s. troops to mexico to combat drug-related violence. >> i'm curious. he wants to invade mexico and people said for years that they were concerned that the texas governor had a camp that was called such an offensive name. >> correct. >> you don't think that's news? >> i do. >> with the washington post talking to state legislators and lobbyists who say we'd go to the camp and the camp was called something so vile and offensive. >> terribly offensive. >> you think it's not news? >> i just think the mexico -- >> richard, do you support the invasion of mexico. >> no.

do you think the word that was on the rock that was removed three years ago is a word that rick perry is screaming wildly at people? >> it's not just a name on the rock. >> i'm curious. can you answer my question? >> i am. it's not just a name on the rock. i can tell you this. if my camp that my father and i purchased had that name it -- >> you would be horrified. >> we would probably not buy it. if we did buy it, we would make sure the day we bought it the rock were removed and we would put up a new sign. the fact that that's what it was called until five years ago, that the sign on the entrance had that, anybody that would allow that to happen while members of the texas -- it shows such an extraordinary racial insensitivity that i think it's disqualifying. >> okay. >> i would say that of anybody

that was running in this race. if what the washington pose is saying is true. >> okay. so, again, i ask you and we are -- we have a lot to do here. >> no, you don't have to run around and say it. scream it and say it. >> is it representative of his thinking? >> it's representative of a racial insensitivity. >> okay. >> that i think is disqualifying. >> i think it's representative of -- >> for any member of congress or a governor or a president. >> okay. >> i don't think it's a close call. >> okay. >> could you imagine driving past a sign like that. >> i'm not saying it's not big. i think the mexico thing is really, really interesting about rick perry. >> what does it say about rick perry that he wants to invied mexico? >> thank you. >> bit premature to put it on the foreign policy agenda. it is a serious issue. the mexicans are overwhelmed. their law enforcement, their judicial system can't handle the problem. it is a problem we are causing

because of the gun laws and the thirst for drugs. this is a serious issue which is the loss of control over parts of northern mexico. mexico is not a failed state. but there are aspects of mexico which are getting overwhelmed. the issue isn't american interventi intervention. it's beginning to happen -- u.s. and mexican intervention. >> you talked about gun laws. i find it interesting. this is where conservatives are going to have a clash and they have to figure this out. virginia has gun laws that allow exemptions for gun shows. your husband did a report on this about a year ago. >> mm-hmm. >> so many guns that are being used south of the border to kidnap, kill are being gotten at gun shows in the united states of america. so it's the same people that want that to happen can't decry the violence south of the

border. by the way, a lot of the murders in the tri-state region come from guns bought at virginia gun shows. i mean, there are some outrageous laws that have nothing to do with second amendment rights. they aren't even using the scantest of safeguards. >> we're not talking about handguns. we are talking about weapons that essentially let you fight small bore wars. and we are on the other side of our thirst for drugs. we are heavily implicated. this is not just a mexican problem. it's increasingly our problem. what happens there doesn't stay there. as you say it's spilling over. imagine how much our debates change about american foreign policy if mexico begins to get overwhelmed more. we don't have the luxury of debating libya and afghanistan. if we have to worry about our southern border it transforms the security challenge facing the united states. >> okay. two checks against rick perry

and six minutes paste wasted. >> wow. >> it's ludicrous. the rock. invading mexico. okay. i can't imagine anyone wants to vote for him. >> the headline is rick perry wants to invade mexico. is it so outrageous? we did it in colombia. he's not talking about rolling tanks over the board. >> we are doing it. we are providing police plus assistance and we have to. the real question is whether mexico's politics will allow this kind of american involvement, whether they are so hyper sensitive. this has the potential to not just affect the quality of life in the united states but to totally distort america's ability to face the world if we have to worry about what's going on down south. >> you say mexico is not a failed state. how many people out there getting up, getting ready for the week this morning realize

the casualty rate among innocent civilians in mexico is at least five times higher than our casualty rate in iraq and afghanistan. five times higher. with people killed, beheaded, left in school playgrounds. >> that's unbelievable. >> it's an incredible undercovered story. incredible. right next door. >> it's interesting. mika thinks it is a waste of time to talk about it. >> i think rick perry's point of view now is becoming one. especially since we have chris christie, the wall street protests and den park as well. >> wall street protests. yeah. let's talk about that. >> it's about perspective. >> chris christie. >> yeah. the wall street journal says there are more reports that he's close to thinking about this. family is becoming an issue and whether or not they are completely on board. >> mike, what do you think? >> what does this say about mitt romney?

>> you know, i don't think it says as much about mitt romney as it does about the clamor in the media for chris christie because he would be exciting because of his unpredictability. >> are you saying this is entertainment? >> that's the way many elements of the media view presidential primaries, as entertainment. the rick perry thing was part of the entertainment spectrum. he will be home in texas with a lot of time on his hands by christmas, i think. >> i think so. joe, what do you think? >> he can see mexico, by the way, from his house. >> are you saying he's the sarah palin? >> no, sarah palin is much smarter than rick perry. >> oh. >> what were you asking about chris christie? >> what do you think? >> all campaigns are about contrast. chris christie, if you look at the politics of it, matches up wonderfully against every republican. unlike rick perry he's

articulate, a fighter. he can tell people what he believes. he can explain his philosophy. there aren't a lot of republicans that can do that. unlike mitt romney he has the courage of conviction to base voters. great contrast there. my god, the contrast in the general election with barack obama, there can't be greater contrast. was it maureen dowd in 2008 who said, go ahead, eat the donut. >> the waffle. >> just eat it. >> and chris christie has eaten the waffle and not only that he's a tough leader. he tells whether they like him or hate him, tells people what he believes and he's willing to go to the mat and fight like hell. it's a lot of things the president's own base suggests he's not willing to do. i think the contrast is great. i think if he got to a general election he would be barack obama and he would get over 330

votes. >> mm-hmm. >> the question is can he win the primary this late. >> i think he would be a great contrast to the president. i think it would be good for the country to have a great debate on stage. he said a few days ago at the reagan library it has to come from within me -- this decision. if it hasn't come yet, i don't know why it would come from him all of the sudden. what's he waiting for? i have reached sarah palin territory where it's like, just let me know when you are in. >> our next guest plays a corporate executive who suffers a nervous breakdown. laura dern is here and wes moore joins the conversation. first to bill karins with a check of the forecast. and a look at the baby. >> what kind of dad would i be? this is my little girl two days ago. she's two weeks and growing fast

and sleeping good, knock on wood. we hope to keep it that way. the wife is doing well, too. thanks for the well wishes, guys. let's talk about the forecast. we have showers in ohio, west virginia, pennsylvania. around d.c., showers this morning until the lunch hour. today is a lot like it was over the weekend for the northeast, midatlantic and ohio valley. showers in the forecast. maybe a quick brief shower, especially late this afternoon. rest of the country looks good. the gorgeous weather today in the mid of the country heads to washington, d.c. wednesday, thursday, friday. we have a great stretch of water in the middle of the country. that will be here for a while. i think everyone is going to like the forecast they had except the west coast for the rest of the week. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks.

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♪ and the throw. the giants win the pennant! the giants win the pennant! the giants win the pennant! they're going crazy! >> that was russ hodge's famous call of the bottom of the ninth walk-off homerun that gave the giant it is national league pennant over their rival brooklyn dodgers. it happened 60 years ago today. and the man who gave up the homerun joins us now. he's out with a new memoir "a

moment in time." also our friend wes moore joins the conversation. great to have you with us. ralph, it is a thrill to have you here. you had a smile on your face as you listened to the call. how many times have you heard it? >> i can't count. a number of times. >> do you get sick of it? >> no, no. it doesn't affect me. i didn't cheat. i played the game how it should be played. honestly, i never scuffed a ball, spit on a ball, pitched in front of the rubber. i didn't make balk moves. i played how i should and the giants stole the pennant. >> let's explain. you held your allegations but the wall street journal wrote them up that the giants were stealing signs. you believe although bobby thompson denied it to his grave -- >> he didn't deny it. he denies he didn't have it on that pitch. he took it during the game but not at that at-bat.

>> you don't buy it? >> if you believe that i have two bridges to sell you. it's an oblong field and both clubhouses were in center field. there were steps on either side. the giants had a door and seven windows and the visitors had a door and one window. just inside the seven windows was the manager's office, leo derose. hermann franks and less shanks sat in the deep shadows where you couldn't see anybody. and they had a telescope that they got from the navy. they brought toyota the ballpark and franks said, let me look at that. they devised a scheme to sit in leo's office. they had an electrician hook up a buzzer system from leo's desk to the bullpen and the dugout. how herman was a catcher. he could pick up catcher signs.

find out what pitch they were using, what signs they were using. sometimes it was the first sign after the second two. so if i go 2-1-2, it's the next sign 3, slider change-up. or 2-1-2-2, curve ball. they would buzz the bullpen and the dugout. that's despicable to use that buzzer system. the cubs, the white sox and cleveland had score boards in center field where they all tried to steal the signs. the cubs and white sox used a flashlight which you could see if you were daydreaming. in cleveland the guy sat in the corner of the score board, but i'm okay. he put up one foot, fast, two, curve. they never hooked up a buzzer system. how do you detect a buzzer system? you can't. one inning, second string catcher, the buzz was right there. he would do nothing for a

fastball. he would take a ball and throw it up and down on his right side or wave it this way. the third pitch he'd go back and forth with the ball or with the towel. the next inning they would go to the dugout. in the dugout they used a word sign like sock it, straight s ball. be ready, curve. watch it for the third. so they called all the signs at home. consequently, i played ball against sal in high school. he was with white plains high. i was with a.b. davis in mount vernon. i was very friendly with him. so i called him six or seven years later because i was told they stole the signs at home by my roommate ted gray in detroit. i said, sal, i understand how you won so well at home. but how did you do so well on the road? he said, we stole them on the

road. i went, oh, no. >> ralph, two things. isn't sign stealing as old as the game itself? and you steal the sign, the guy in the box still has to hit the ball. >> that's true. but stealing the signs on the field is part of the game. going into the locker room, hooking up a buzzer system, no, no. why steal signs if it didn't help? >> in a way, despite how you felt now and clearly still feel now, it made you 25 years old forever. that moment in baseball, that moment in your life. >> how did you guess i'm still 25? >> you look it. >> i picked the right parents. but you know what? you still have to hit the ball, but it does help. you watch guys in batting practice hit line drive after line drive. then you see them in homerun contests where they are trying

to hit ground balls. you have to hit it, but it helps. it helped thompson. he was in .238. he hit .365 getting the signs. some guys it helps. he went from .238 to .296. some guys get too anxious. they know what's coming, they swing at a bad ball. he knew i pitched up and in. the first pitch you couldn't get it more in the middle of the plate. dead center. he said it many times when we were interviewed together. he said, the guys on the bench wanted to kill me. kill? i never use that verb. it was, what the heck was he looking for? he knows this guy is a fastball pitcher. the next pitch was up and in. he should have taken it. again, i think back. here's where i might second guess myself. this is the playoff game. i'm still being the pitcher. i'll throw a fastball up and in and curve him down and away.

i was still trying to be a pitcher and i looked back and i say, what would you do different now? i said, i'd knock him on his ass. >> knock him down. >> let me ask. this pitch was 60 years ago today. why now to tell the story? >> i started out to do memoirs. i was talking to fay vincent, former commissioner, good friend of mine. he said, you ought to write your memoirs. you have a family, nieces and nephews. i have, like, 33 nieces and nephews. i started to write it as a memoir and i somehow got talked into writing a book. my brother john who was the boxing commissioner of the state, an assemblyman, great guy in his own right, his two sons convinced me to write a book and had three other nephews. they said i should write the book. i better write it before i get old, you know. i'm still 25.

>> you should know there is a lot more to the life of ralph branca than the pitch. including in 1947 on opening door when jackie robinson was introduced you stood next to him in front of the hostile crowd and teammates of yours refused to do it. you should be applauded for that. >> i don't think it's a hostile crowd in brooklyn. they learned to love jackie. we set an attendance record for the national league. but jackie was instrumental. he did perform admirably under, i will say, tension, trauma, very dire straits for him. he was all alone. he had to perform because if he failed that might have stopped the progress of blacks entering baseball. >> that's right. >> he hit .297, led the league in stolen bases, played first

base. when we went on the road he was badgered by black groups who wanted him to go out. we had sam lacy and -- another senior moment. >> ralph, the book is great. "a moment in time." thanks for being here. >> thank you, guys. i think people will enjoy the book. i have given it to family and friends and they enjoyed it. said it sounds like me, so wear your boots. >> thanks a lot. we'll be right back with laura dern. [ male announcer ] nature valley sweet & salty nut bars... they're made from whole roasted nuts and dipped in creamy peanut butter, making your craving for a sweet & salty bar irresistible, by nature valley. the world needs more energy.

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♪ we're happy to see that you're doing better and that you got the help that you needed, but unfortunately we don't have a position to offer you at this time. >> wow. this is weird because when i left in june i'd seen a lawyer and he said that there was no way you wouldn't give me my job back, right, because of some kind of pre-existing condition, depression and if i got treatment you would have to give me my job back because otherwise it would be grounds for a lawsuit, like unlawful

termination or something. so now i'm confused. >> that was a new hbo show about a corporate executive who winds herself up in a hawaiian mental health center after suffering a nervous breakdown. the star and coexecutive producer, laura, thank you for being here. >> thanks for having me. i love this show. >> every day when i get off the subway the doors open and there you are with mascara running down your face looking clinically insane, frankly. >> i think it's made for the new york subway system. >> that's what every new yorker sees now in the morning. >> just reminding you that your day isn't as bad. >> it's all relative. >> tell me about this character. who is she? >> she's someone who i think just feels everything in an enormous way. i love her so much. i think sort of the inception of her from mike white and myself

was this cultural apathy so many of us have felt for quite a long time in this country and thinking about what would happen if somebody with a rage issue or feels everything in a very large way actually wanted to do something about it. maybe in every aspect of her life. there are obviously pitfalls to that. but it maybe takes those kind of people to get out in the street. >> without giving away much of the show she's a big time executive and falls apart. >> yeah. she wants to be. she's frankly mid-level at best. but in her own mind she's extremely important to this corporation. who could do without her very easily. after her meltdown, she comes back, ever changed, and decides to change her mother, change her addict ex-husband and this interesting conglomerate that she's going to green, if you

will. >> a mother who is laura's real mother, we should point out. >> exactly. my mother diane ladd plays my mother and luke wilson plays the ex-husband. >> we were talking during the commercial break about hbo and working with hbo. talk about the difference between working at hbo and basically any other form of acting media out there today. >> i really feel like hbo has become the united or tys from the '70s. it's the place where independent film makers, people with a strong vision get to go tell their stories. thanks to mr. ploeffler and hbo, they let you do what you want to do and they have a feeling of an independent film company. a lot of us making independent film. i don't know if you have heard but there is trouble in the economy right now. >> yes. >> there is not a lot of money to make movies and eat. >> little things. >> just the little things in

life. so it's this home where you can go tell your stories. >> how much of it is do you think is rooted in the changes in hollywood over the last 20, 25 years? you make a billion dollars selling spark plugs in detroit and you suddenly become a movie producer as opposed to hbo where you are working with people who have been making films their whole lives? >> it's incredible and extraordinary. there are always a few trains running. they are making films, as i got to do. they are making films of very extraordinary political importance. the documentary division is unparalleled and series television where they will take a character like you have seen in this image and make it a 30-minute, you know, comedy-drama. it can be elusive. it doesn't have to be described as a specific thing the network might need to sell. hbo is brave that way.

>> and the standard, wes, has been raised by hbo. you watch a network sit com, not nbc, of course. but you watch and say, that doesn't cut it anymore. hbo does it in a better way. they have changed the game. >> they have. and they are not relying on opening weekend box office numbers. their model is different which allows characters to have a lot of layer. speaking about whether it be the work you do with all the variety of work you have done, what do you hope people learn from the layers of the character? >> it's funny. reality television has a lot of judgment on it. but the interesting thing as an actor is, you know, we all know how complicated life is as individuals, but we have been presented with these characters who are not as complicated as we are sometimes. and particularly in network

television, but suddenly now reality has created this wealth of opportunity for actors who like the gray. because, you know, it's extraordinary that at 9:00 at night on any network, you tune in and someone's life has fallen apart and their child has a methamphetamine habit and they have been left with five kids to raise. that's reality television. we're like, oh, the character on the bill board looks real mainstream now. >> speaking of the bill board and reality, how surprised were you to find that willy geist takes the subway? >> very nice. >> man of the people. every day i take that subway. take it to yankee stadium, too. >> he washed his face before getting on the subway. >> exactly. you don't go method, right? you're not walking around with your kids? >> actually, my daughter is in first grade and a friend of hers came up to me the other day when

i was dropping her off. she's like, i just saw you on a poster and you looked really upset. are you okay? why were you so upset? it's troubling. >> just for tv. >> exactly. >> laura, congratulations on the series. it looks great. it premieres on hbo, monday, october 10 at 9:30 p.m. >> thank you so much. >> up next, thanksgiving football may be worth watching this year. the lyoie lions are undefeated. we'll break down the weekend in nfl next on "morning joe." [ male announcer ] this...is jet's pizza -- sterling heights, michigan. in here, food is inspected, perfected and occasionally rejected. with a customized mobile app developed with at&t, jet's food inspectors can share data in real time -- so what used to take two weeks, now takes two hours. faster feedback means better food and happy people. it's a network of possibilities --

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they faked the run. romo throws. he's picked off by bobby carpenter. carpenter makes a move down the sidelines. still going. the former dallas cowboy bobby carpenter is a fumble into the end zone and it's recovered for a touchdown by eric wright . on 1st down for stafford who goes to tend zone. jump ball. touchdown. >> joining us now for the "morning joe" gridiron grind, mike florio, founder of profootballtalk.com. >> good to be here. >> the detroit lions are 4-0. >> it's unbelievable. they were 5-47 before their last eight games, all of which they have won.

they won four to finish last season and four to start this season. >> this is a terrible throw by romo. bobby carpenter, his groomman in may, running it to the house. calvin johnson is having unbelievable season already. >> it's amazing to me. i still see teams put one man on johnson. maybe it doesn't matter because the one catch he had there were three guys on him. it just doesn't matter. the guy is the number one receiver in the nfl right now. i think he's broadening the gap between himself and everyone else. >> here he is. >> here's the catch in triple coverage. 4-0. they have had comebacks. i don't know. they are still the detroit lions. >> they have only played one complete game and they obliterated the chiefs. they are building confidence, finding ways to win. they have two 20-point comebacks. 20 last week, 24 this week. you build confidence, get better, put a full game together and you're on your way.

i keep pointing to the thanksgiving game. we have had so many bad early thanksgiving games over the past decade or so. packers, lions. that will be one of the biggest of the year. >> stafford has to stay healthy this year, the quarterback. >> people say that. last year they started without stafford. they did it with sean hill at quarterback. so i think they could still be successful. it's easier if you have stafford. they could be successful without him. >> are the packers the best team in football? they are blowing people out. >> the packers had to play in the regular season like they played last year in the regular season. they were 10-6. they barely got into the playoffs but they kicked it in in the post season and they continued to kick it in this year. the gap between them and everybody else keeps getting bigger. the lions are the team that may have something to say. >> i don't know if we have clips from the broncos game. they lost yesterday. but what's the story on tim tebow? >> when you look at how well the young quarterbacks like cam

newton and andy dalton are playing, the pressure will continue to mount on the broncos to use tebow. once they fade out of contention you flip the switch to him. you used a first round pick on him. the guy who drafted him is gone, so at some point you have to see what he can do. >> wes moore feels they have been overplaying their dominance. >> it's interesting. >> with the exception of the one loss the ravens have, they haven't won, they have dominated every time. how good are the ravens? >> they are extremely good and they recovered well from the loss in tennessee. it surprised everyone they lost after completely dominating the steelers. they went to st. louis, won by 30. took care of the jets last night and they go into the by week 3-1. they should feel good. i think they will continue to get better. >> on the other side of the game rex ryan has to be waking up concerned about his offense. >> yeah. this whole ryan mystique, whether it's rex or rob, rob

said calvin johnson would be the third best receiver on the cowboys last week. that didn't work out well. i think rex was rattled by what joe namath had to say. if you tell the guys, they are great, great, great, they will believe it and start doing things to be great. that's got to be a concern. >> call the red sox. >> yeah. >> the eagles, everybody thought they would be great. the so-called dream team they put together in the off season lose again, blow a huge lead. 20-3 at the half they were up. and they lose to the niners. what's going on? >> michael vick had a career day passing but you don't feel the team concept. reminds me of the redskins when they had big names but couldn't put it together. this year you have five weeks to put it together. you have new players, a defensive coordinator who was the offensive line coach for years. it's not enough time. too much pressure to make it happen. >> panthers lost yesterday. how good is cam newton?

>> he's great. another 374 yards. two 400-yard performances. 1-3, i don't think panthers fans care. they're happy to have cam newton for now and in the future. >> you have the giants and skins tied at 3-1. who do you like? >> the giants. but the redskins beat them. i think the skins like flying under the radar. >> thanks, mike. see you next week. >> thanks. >> up next, a big week on wall street. business before the bell is next. so when is this stud muffin of yours coming over?

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wall street. you'll remember that last quarter was bad with the dow down 12%. we kick off with a crucial week for two things. we need to know where we are going with u.s. growth. are we headed back into recession here? and we need to know what's happening in europe. as far as the growth story we have manufacturing data out at 10:00 today. overnight from india, taiwan, australia, europe. we have an indication that factory output is contracting. we need to know if it's happening here as well. we work our way through the week of course with the employment report on friday. the indication for most of the big houses is the best case scenario is we don't head back into recession but the risks are high and raising as goldman put it. they suggest if we get a recession it will be shallow. perhaps a dip of 1.5%. quite a slow recovery out of that. as far as europe is concerned, a lot of concern there. are they going to let greece default and can they get a bigger stability fund to inoculate everyone from the

problems there? it's a big week. >> greece announcing 30,000 more layoffs. new austerity measures there. >> absolutely. >> we'll know more by the end of the week. simon hobbs, thank you very much. we appreciate it. up next, what, if anything, did we learn today? here's your business travel forecast. in the corners we have showers in new england and the pacific northwest. northern california will get rain today. it's not going to rain all day. there will be showers late today from boston to new york. we're looking nice through the middle of the country. beautiful weather from denver and minneapolis. you are a business pro. executor of efficiency. you can spot an amateur from a mile away...

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hey, time to tell you what we learned today. let's start with -- is it mike? >> yes, it is. i think so. i learned thanksgiving day, thanksgiving morning lions/packer, good game this year. >> wes moore? >> if you think the deployment and redeployment of troops in afghanistan is complicated i can't wait to hear what perry has in mind for mexico. >> i learned that the denmark ruling where you can't have butter anymore, he'll call on his experience from the '80s and mule butter into the country. >> margarine. >> thanks for the image. we'll see you tomorrow. stick around now for "the daily rundown" with chuck todd. >> so just as rick perry was hoping to pull out of his funk, a front page story gives the campaign another blow. how long did he know